Ralf Schumacher was left disappointed by Haas after the team opted to part ways with his nephew Mick Schumacher at the end of 2022.
The announcement was made official on Thursday, bringing the German driver’s two-year association with the team to a conclusion.
In his place steps in Nico Hulkenberg, who returns to the grid in a full-time role for the first time since 2019, having spent the last handful of seasons working as Racing Point/Aston Martin’s reserve driver.
Speaking to Sky, Ralf Schumacher says that Haas failed to properly manage Mick’s lack of F1 experience inside the garage.
“That’s not how you deal with an employee,” he said. “That’s why the result wasn’t a big surprise.
“You have to promote such a young driver, you have to hug him from time to time.
“The first year was difficult, now he suddenly had Kevin Magnussen in front of him and was able to learn – and the learning curve was very steep. And that’s the only thing that matters for a young driver.”
Ralf added that Schumacher deserved another year in F1 to learn, pointing at AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda, who will compete in his third season next year.
“Of course, this is a disappointment for such a young racing driver. The fact that it took so long made it clear that it would not be quite so easy.
“They obviously approached the matter with different standards. You have to give a driver two or three years.
“We see, for example, Yuki Tsunoda who sits in a supposedly better car and also has difficulties.”
The next step of Schumacher’s career is not yet clear, however he has been linked to reserve roles at Mercedes and Alpine next year.
Ralf added that he doesn’t believe that his nephew’s career is over for good.
“I don’t think Mick will be gone forever,” he said.
Schumacher’s name has also been in the frame for a seat in F1 at Audi, when the German manufacturer enters the sport in 2026.
Discussion about this post